U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,051 to Kallenbach describes an exemplary flexible hose for use with APCs. The hose may be molded of plastic material and have “a corrugated longitudinal cross-section to provide radial stiffness to the hose with flexibility both along and transverse to the axis of the hose.” See Kallenbach, col. 1, 11. 22-25. The Kallenbach patent recognizes the forces under which the hose is placed during use with a suction-type APC, noting that the reduced pressure to which the interior of the hose is subjected tends to collapse thinner walls of the hose.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0077759 of van der Meijden, et al., discloses additional types of hoses principally for APCs. Contemplated in the van der Meijden application is that the hoses may be used with water-interruption APCs, in which a valve cyclically interrupts flow of water though a suction-type cleaner. The cyclical interruption “may exert forces on a flexible hose section that causes it to cyclically compress and extend along its longitudinal axis.” See van der Meijden, p. 1, ¶0004. Previously, however, the repeated compression and extension of the hose has been considered (at least somewhat) in a negative manner, in that it may cause undesirable wear and failure of the hose. See id.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,145,074 to Henkin, et al., details additional hoses designed mainly to avoid coiling or knotting in use. The hoses alternate axially flexible and axially stiff sections, with the lateral forces to which the stiff sections are subjected “creat[ing] additional tension on the conduit[s] tending to pull [them] straight to unwind coils and twists therein.” See Henkin, col. 6, 11. 1-32.
The contents of the Kallenbach and Henkin patents and of the van der Meijden application are incorporated herein in their entireties by this reference. None of these patents or applications, however, addresses the possibility of creating electricity or radiation via actions of hoses or using electricity to heat the hoses or radiation to sanitize pool water. All possibilities are advantageous in certain situations, though, providing need for such results.